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FA Cup Final 2017 - Wembley Stadium Travel Guide

Wembley Stadium is the largest football stadium in England, and the home of English football. This famous ground hosts England home games, as well as many other significant fixtures including the 2017 FA Cup Final on the 27th May. Situated in North West London, Wembley is a must-visit for any football fan, whether it’s on a matchday or you just want to explore this famous ground.​​

Getting There

London is easily reached from DFDS ferry ports at Dover or Newhaven, with multiple daily crossings from France taking just 90 minutes between Calais and Dover. You can reach London in around 1 hours 30 minutes by car from Dover, and around 2 hours from Newhaven. Wembley itself is well-connected by public transport to the rest of London, providing easy links no matter where you stay in the capital.

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How to get to Wembley Stadium

Public transport is the most reliable way to get to and from Wembley Stadium, with the Wembley Park tube station and Wembley Stadium overground station both just a few minutes’ walk away. Wembley Park tube station links to the Jubilee and Metropolitan lines, providing fast and easy access from central London, with special services provided on matchdays.

What to see in Wembley

London is home to an endless array of things to see and do, from beautiful parks to fascinating museums, as well as fantastic shopping and restaurants. Wembley itself has a vibrant high street just down the road from the stadium, as well as a stunning Hindu temple built entirely from Indian limestone.

Wembley Stadium

Wembley is probably the most iconic stadium in the UK, and makes a fascinating place to visit on non-matchdays as well as when there’s a game on. Wembley has hosted many significant events over the years, from Olympic matches to FA cup finals.

You can take a tour of the stadium on non-matchdays, where you can see the England dressing room, the player tunnel, the press room, among other attractions. You’ll also have the chance to see the stadium from pitch-side and a get a feel for what it’s like to play in front of such a huge crowd.

The tour also includes a look at some of the stadium’s treasures, such as the 1966 World Cup crossbar.

FA Cup Final History

The FA Cup is the oldest football competition in the world, with the first final taking place on the 16th March 1872 at the Kennington Oval, London. The 1872 title winners were Wanderers, who narrowly beat the Royal Engineers 1-0 in the inaugural final.

The climax of the English football season moved to the old Wembley stadium for the 1923 final and was primarily hosted at this venue until 2000, when the ground was demolished to make way for the present Wembley stadium. The first final to take place at the current Wembley stadium was the 2007 final between
Chelsea and
Manchester United, which the London club won 1-0.

Arsenal and Manchester United are the joint most successful teams in the history of the competition, each with 12 wins and 19 final appearances. The most successful teams in the history of the competition are included below (details correct prior to 2017 final):

​Club

Wins​

Total final appearances​

​Arsenal

​12

​19

​Manchester United

12​

19​

​Tottenham Hotspur

8​

9​

​Aston Villa

​7

11​

​Chelsea

​7

11​

​Liverpool

7

14​

​Blackburn Rovers

​6

8​

​Newcastle United

​6

13​

​Everton

​5

13​

​Manchester City

​5

​10

Table statistics correct as of 19 May 2017.

FA Cup Final 2017

The FA Cup Final, to be held on Saturday 27th May, will be the 136th in the tournament’s history and will be between the league leaders Chelsea and 12-time FA Cup winners Arsenal.

Chelsea defeated Tottenham Hotspur 4-2 in the semi-finals, to continue their excellent first season under Antonio Conte and reach their 12th FA Cup Final. The South London club will be looking for their 8th FA Cup Final win, as well as taking the final step towards a potential second League and FA Cup Double.

Arsenal reached a record 20th final by defeating
Manchester City​ 2-1 in extra-time, which could provide Arsene Wenger with the perfect swansong to his career as Arsenal manager. A win for the Gunners would see them rise above Manchester United, to the top of the all-time list with 13 FA Cup Final wins.

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